September 2008
Monthly Archive
5 Simple Steps To Creating An Effective Organizing Goal
admin 25 Sep 2008 | : organize
Creating goals is one way of making empowered changes in your life. But how do you create an effective organizing goal? Here are a few simple steps to help you.
1. Write it down.
Writing down your organizing goal makes it more real to you. We tend to stick to our written commitments better than our verbal commitments. Saying you are going to do something is one thing. It creates more resonance with you and a better likelihood that you will stick to your goal if you write it down. Even better, write it down every day from now until you have actually accomplished it.
2. Make it a goal that will make you feel better about yourself.
Think for a moment about the number one thing in your life right now that if you got it organized, would make you feel 10 times better about your life. You know what it is, that one thing that would change how you feel if you got it organized today. Maybe it is an area of your home or of your office. Maybe it is getting your schedule organized or getting your morning routine to go more smoothly.
The reason why it needs to be something that will make you feel better about yourself is because you will be a whole lot more likely to take action on that goal if it is something that will make you feel better about you. It is one thing to be happy that your living room is organized. It is a whole other ballgame to feel better about who you are as a person because you finally got your schedule organized and you are no longer showing up late everywhere.
3. Make it specific.
Writing down a goal like “I want to get my life organized” is not going to help you. Get specific with your goal. The more specific you can make it, the better off you will be. Something along the lines of “I am going to organize my kitchen” is much better and gives you a clear idea of what you are going have actually accomplished once you meet your goal. What exactly does an organized life look like anyway? I know I have not accomplished this one and I am a professional organizer!
The one caution I have here is that you not make your organizing goal too specific. So having a goal of getting the kitchen utensil drawer organized would not be a good one. Setting organizing goals like this means you would be setting a new one every day! Your target here is to have an organizing goal that is general enough so that it is going to take you at least one month to reach it but specific enough so that you have a definite end in sight.
4. Make it measurable.
This goes hand-in-hand with getting specific about your organizing goal. The best way to make your organizing goal measurable is to give it a specific timeframe. So if your goal is to get your kitchen organized, then give yourself a date for when you will have that organizing goal accomplished. Then circle that date on the calendar, put stars on it, whatever you need to do to make that date stand out for you.
My caution on this one: make it a realistic date. Don’t overestimate what you can do. You are better off overestimating the time it will take you to get it finished than underestimating it. Yes, there is psychology at work here. If you get your organizing project done in less time than you estimated that it would take you, you will feel better about yourself and about the organizing project. It will also help keep you motivated so that you do more!
5. Believe you can do it and get excited about it!
If you don’t believe that you can accomplish your organizing goal, guess what, you won’t be able to do it. And if you know with certain knowledge that you can do it, that’s even better. When you know, and I mean really KNOW you can do something, you get the power to do it. If this is an organizing goal that you have set for yourself repeatedly but that you have yet to follow through on, ask yourself why. If it is a goal that isn’t really all that important to you, if you can’t get excited about accomplishing it, then don’t bother because you’re not going to get it done anyway. The way that you stay motivated towards achieving any goal in your life is by getting excited about it, by getting excited about how your life is going to look and feel different once that goal is accomplished. If you can’t work up some sort of passion for this organizing goal, pick a new goal.
Jill Borash is a professional organizer who believes in empowering people to take charge of their lives, homes and offices through organization. Jill’s company, Empowered Organization, offers home and office organization consultations (in the Denver, Colorado metro area only) and coaching to help you in your organizing journey. You can find out more at www.YourHomeIsOrganized.com.
Platform Beds - Long Lasting or Throw Away Furniture
admin 18 Sep 2008 | : bedroom, furniture
It’s been said that no idea is original anymore, and that’s usually the case, even in terms of the bedding that we use today. Ancient Egypt and Rome show evidence of having created the first platform beds, and though they’ve just come into heavy popularity today, they are certainly not the first of their kind. However, with modern techniques and building methods today, one may wonder just how much improvement has been made on the original design. Are modern platform beds high quality items that can be expected to last through the years, or will they have to be frequently replaced as have some other trendy designs in the past?
Fortunately, we are not stuck in the dark ages with limited technology, and the modern platform is actually a very sturdy, reliable bed. Purchasing wood platform beds adds both style and long-term potential to your bedroom needs, with the décor adding to the personality of the bed as opposed to a large, imposing piece of furniture creating an atmosphere around which everything else must revolve. As a basic design element, this bed is more than just a slab of wood on the floor - most platform beds are built to last and to adapt to the environment and design of your choice.
Other king wood beds tend to be overwhelming, especially in a tight bedroom space. With these less intrusive and intricate pieces, less room is needed, and the piece even appears smaller, saving room for other furniture and decorations without making the space feel as though it’s cramped quarters. The beds have a minimal amount of construction work that involves fewer pieces, meaning there are less joints, screws, bolts, and components to come loose over time. Wood versions are thick and supportive so there is little worry of bending, bowing, and sagging of the mattress.
If purchased separately, platform beds will match almost any furniture you already have, which is good since they are high quality and long lasting in most cases. If you buy everything together, many contemporary bedroom sets now contain a platform bed as opposed to some of the older or classic popular styles. While these beds come in a wide range of prices, you need to balance what you spend with what you can expect from the bed. If you overpay, you’ll regret having dropped too much money when you could have gotten something just as good for a little less. On the other hand, sparing too much expense can result in losing that long lasting quality you desire.
Whether you are considering platform beds for your master bedroom furniture or another room in the house, they are excellent pieces of furniture. Like all objects, there is room for error, and not all beds are made the same, but with the proper outlook and awareness, you can rest comfortably and be sure that you’ve made a high quality purchase.
Ben Weissman writes about using Platform Beds , Metal Beds and Hillsdale Furniture to create a beautiful bedroom at an affordable price. Make your bedroom a personal retreat.
